Some people work well under pressure , some don't. Luckily for me I seem to be one of the former because I sense lots of deadlines approaching!On the painting front things are very busy - I'm painting away for Art Expo Nelson at Labour Weekend , Art in a Garden in Canterbury , a solo exhibition in Marlborough in December and have several workshops to organise.Something else that I'm really looking forward to is the Marlborough Garden Festival on the 4th-6th of November. I've been invited, together with some other local artists , to take part in an exhibition in the wetland beside the Wairau Lagoon , home to Driftwood EcoTours. This is a very special place. Did you know that we have lost 90% of our wetlands in New Zealand? These are often breeding places for many different types of bird - the Wairau Lagoon hosts around 90 different species. One of these is the Royal Spoonbill (thanks , Will ,for the use of your reference photo).The Lagoon is an important historic site, too, with around 44 Maori burial sites . In 2009 the remains of the extinct Haast eagle were found here - with a wingspan of around three metres these guys would have probably put me off painting outdoors!In other bird news, my 2017 calendar will soon be available , featuring birds both native and not. The calendar is the same price as last year ($25 incl NZ postage) and this time is a 13 month calendar , giving you an extra month of bird appreciation! I'll send out an email once I have them back from the printers.I hope that you're all enjoying spring ,and that those of you who are painters are feeling inspired...